Raining Mystery And Magic
by Paradox Of Life
Summary: HC&AU. Howl is a normal human soldier, who is saved from a group of women by a mysterious girl. She uses magic, a forbidden practice in their world. But when he's placed under a curse, it may be that she is his only hope...if he could only find her again. ON HIATUS - INDEFINITE


**What would happen if Sophie and Howl's lives had been switched? And the movie didn't take place in their time, but in an alternate reality where magic is outlawed? Warning: gender-bending ahead! :D**

**Excuse me if anyone's OOC :) There were a lot of plotholes in this (probably still are some), and it took a lot of working with to get it right...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, except Martha and Mel. And the Girl, at this current moment. And I guess the new Howl too, since he's not a wizard ;)  
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Even before he ran into her did he know that there was trouble coming his way. The signs had been all there; dropping his gun on his foot, falling down the stairs, and even crashing into his fellow soldiers several times that afternoon. Eventually he gave up and just stood by the gates instead, out of everyone's way. He was on guard duty, a result of the reports of a war in the making. The blonde-haired man sighed, leaning against the iron railings behind him, crossing his arms and glaring at the ground. The barracks were opposite a bakery, and he gained curious looks from the women there as he stood guard. Several braver women came over to him shyly and he groaned, closing his eyes briefly.

"Hey there." A girl smiled at him and several girls giggled when they saw the faint blush on his cheeks.

"I'm Martha, what's your name?" Another girl asked and the man sighed, finally tearing his eyes from the ground and looking at the women. They were giving him flirtatious looks, which he ignored. He knew how shallow women those days were anyway.

"Well?" Several women asked, batting their eyelashes at him. The man muttered something, absently brushing a stray piece of his hair out of his face.

"Howl." He eventually answered, mentally cursing his weakness around women. Several girls giggled over the name, making cooing noises like doves.

"That's so nice!" "It's different, I'll give you that." "Suits him too!"

"Pendragon!" Someone roared. Howl jumped and the girls scattered as his commander came over to him, his face livid. "What is this?" He yelled, shoving a piece of paper into the 19 year-old's face. Howl moved it to where he could see it and scanned it quickly, then glanced back up at his commander.

"Sorry sir, I'm afraid I don't know." He replied and the piece of paper was yanked out of his hands faster than he could blink. His boss cursed under his breath then turned and stalked away. Howl frowned, running over the words of the notice in his mind.

"Pendragon is dangerous. Keep an eye on him." He hummed as he walked away from the gates, his shift over. Someone else replaced him but he absently noted that was he walked down the streets, heading for his home in the back areas of the town. He was so focused on the notice that he didn't notice where he was heading until he bumped into someone. He quickly stood back, then groaned. More women. And some of them were the ones from before, too.

"See, here he is!" One laughed and they surrounded him before he could turn to leave. Howl cursed his luck as the girls began piling him with questions, the most common one being if he was single. There was a shuffling from behind him and suddenly Howl was pulled away from the girls as someone wrapped their arms around his waist, leaning against him.

"There you are sweetheart, sorry I'm late. I was looking everywhere for you." Someone said and several girls glared at whoever was holding him. They weren't holding him tightly, but there was the unspoken agreement that if he wanted to leave, he could. However, if it helped get rid of the girls…

"No problem, I got a little…_stuck _anyway." He smiled over his shoulder and the girl laughed as she leaned against him.

"So I see." She smiled and several girls glared at her again.

"Hey, we're busy here!" One girl protested and the new arrival raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? It looked to me like you all were just leaving." She said, pointing to the girls. She suddenly flicked her hand skywards and the girls stiffened. She motioned again, and they shrieked as they turned around, then, as she motioned back out toward the end of the street, they walked away, yelping and protesting all the way. Howl stiffened. No way…

"Don't hold it against them, they're actually not all that bad. Just overexcited about absolutely everything." The girl laughed, releasing Howl. He turned around and looked at her for the first time. She was wearing a white shirt and black pants, giving her a rouge-ish type of look. She had a gold, pink and grey jacket over her shoulder, but her arms weren't in the long sleeves, The wide collar was open around her neck, letting her hair curl inside the collar instead. Her brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, which fell to just below her bust line and helped conceal the blue pendant she wore. She blinked up at him before moving aside. "Where to? I'll go with you, to help keep your fans away." She offered and Howl blinked.

"I'm…just heading to the soldier's apartments." He said, then caught himself. "Wait, was that…" He hesitated, not wanting to use the _'M'_ word. The girl understood though, and laughed.

"It'll be our secret, ok?" She winked before looping her arm through his. "Now let's go. And don't be alarmed, but I'm being followed. Act normal." She smiled and Howl nodded absently as they walked off, heading in the opposite direction to the girls. They walked in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the _thunk_ of their shoes against the cobblestones. The girl's footsteps were much lighter, Howl noticed, the sound almost silent.

They passed down a narrow alleyway and there was a rippling sound from behind them as they passed a plaster and brick wall. The girl's grip on Howl's arm tightened and he guessed that it was what she'd meant by 'followed'. More noises followed as they continued walking, the brunette girl forcing herself to relax her grip on Howl's arm.

"Sorry, looks like you're involved." She whispered. A shadow ahead of them moved and Howl gasped as they surged toward the unlikely pair, revealing themselves to be what the soldier could only describe as 'blob men', wearing a white hat with a blue ribbon, and with the appearance and colour of tar. They were slipping through the walls themselves, multiplying until there was a large crowd of them The girl glanced around with her eyes, then smiled slightly to herself. "This way." She said, tugging on Howl's arm so they went into another alleyway to their left. She immediately began to walk faster, not quite jogging but a fast trot instead. Howl easily kept pace with her, and he heard the squelching noises behind them grow in intensity as the blob men began to chase them. They passed another alleyway but the girl ignored it, focusing ahead of them instead as the blobs came closer. Howl tried to pull back when he saw a wall of the creatures ahead of them, but the girl continued walking ahead, her gaze focused on a certain spot he couldn't pick out. They were trapped between the two groups and the blob men were almost upon them when the girl used her magic again.

"Hold on." She grinned, looping her arm around Howl's waist, grabbing the hand closest to her, and stepping forward. The next moment they were flying straight up and the blob men collided with each other below them. Howl gasped as they floated above the rooftops, the girl calmly sighing with relief.

"Now, straighten your legs, and start walking." She said to Howl, already stepping forward in the air. He was still for several seconds before he hesitatingly stepped forward too, and when he found that he didn't fall, he continued walking. He could see all the people moving below them, having just come from a parade in the street to mark the beginning of the war, but no one seemed to notice them at all. "See? Not so hard, is it?" The girl grinned, and Howl could only gape at her as they continued walking. They 'walked' over the roof of a house and down the other side, and by now Howl was beginning to realize that even if he didn't like to use the _'M'_ word, this was…magic.

The girl laughed and Howl couldn't help but let a small smile flicker across his face.

They were steadily descending, and were almost at the large clear patch of ground outside the barracks. The girl was still walking half-behind Howl, holding his hands so he didn't fall. She glanced at Howl as they continued walking. "You are a natural." She praised him and Howl smiled slightly, more relaxed this time. She stepped off the tip of a green spire and they lifted slightly higher, not walking over the large court. The people below the were laughing and chatting happily, not ever once considering to look up and see the two that were walking across the sky above them. The large green building loomed ahead of them and the girl stepped onto the ledge of the balcony, her boots settling with a light tap. She released Howl once his feet were on the balcony floor, but kept her gentle hold on his hand.

"I'll make sure to draw them off. But wait a bit before you head back outside." She smiled at him, her brown pony-tail blowing gently in the wind that surrounded the building. Howl nodded at her, letting out a small " 'kay", and the girl smiled, releasing his hand as she straightened up.

"Good boy." She smiled before suddenly jumping backwards off the ledge. She fell quickly, her arms extended out to each side. Howl yelped, ran to the edge of the balcony and looked down, scanning the crowds below for her.

The girl was gone.

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_**So...my first attempt at a HMC fanfic...Yeah, been playing around with this idea and all it's issues (trust me, there were a LOT) once I finished watching the movie for the 10th time... ^^; Yeah, I'm still a kid at heart! 3 Ok, and the girl's 'Good boy' comment doesn't quite fit...but I couldn't think of anything else =_=**_

_**Any suggestions for the next chapter? They'll alternate; one based on the movie, one not. So...what should happen next?**_


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